Itinerant Air-Cooled

I've had the nut (or ?) on the inside of the bumper sheet metal become detached, so my bolt just spins. Have any of you solved this? I have a couple ideas:

1) drill a hole next to the bumper bolt hole, pull the bolt out tight and hit through the hole with a mig welder, hoping to stick the nut back to the sheet metal.

2) cut the bolt off, open the hole out, and make up a threaded insert I can slide in from the outside with a collar I can weld from the outside - kind of like an expansion bolt, but welding it rather than relying on some expansion mechanism.

Other suggestions?

I have used the collared expansion bolts that you lock down and they don't come apart for nothing. I guess you could tack weld them too.

jcbrock wrote:I've had the nut (or ?) on the inside of the bumper sheet metal become detached, so my bolt just spins. Have any of you solved this? I have a couple ideas:

1) drill a hole next to the bumper bolt hole, pull the bolt out tight and hit through the hole with a mig welder, hoping to stick the nut back to the sheet metal.

2) cut the bolt off, open the hole out, and make up a threaded insert I can slide in from the outside with a collar I can weld from the outside - kind of like an expansion bolt, but welding it rather than relying on some expansion mechanism.

Other suggestions?

Cut a generous access hole under the bolt area but where you can reach in with the bumper on. Grab the broken nut and try to break the bolt free of it. If no, cut off the bolt and be ready to fish the nut/bolt end out of your new access. Now use a simple bolt and a washer + nut to attach the bumper. Enjoy your new access hole for washing, primering, painting, undercoating the inside of the "deformation element".
Colin

Now I'm going to feel like an inadequate sleazeball unless I go the whole 9 yards on all 4. Maybe some doors with Dzus fastners too...if I imagine hard enough I'll think they're covering the hood vents on my 250 GTO.

jcbrock wrote:Now I'm going to feel like an inadequate sleazeball unless I go the whole 9 yards on all 4. Maybe some doors with Dzus fastners too...if I imagine hard enough I'll think they're covering the hood vents on my 250 GTO.

Settle down. This is not a 38 million dollar Ferrari 250 GTO.
Colin
(I had nooooooo idea you were so RICH!)

I can't believe we forgot to show the 250 to you, it's in the back of the chicken coop over at BusBoyTom's.

jcbrock wrote:I can't believe we forgot to show the 250 to you, it's in the back of the chicken coop over at BusBoyTom's.

You dang hill-billy Ferrari owners . . .
Colin